I have been working at Auto-Owners Insurance full-time (Less than a year)

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Pros

AO is a very stable and consistent company. They have a very friendly work environment. Agents love this company. The benefits are pretty nice. Although the salary is below industry they provide yearly bonuses and profit sharing, which sometimes make up for that. The best part is that they pay for all your insurance certifications and leadership courses.

Cons

Very micromanaged. Not much flexibility in hours (everyone leaves at lunch at the same time, not a minute prior). Stuffy work environment, and usually never in the big city because they try to be prudent.

I have been working at Auto-Owners Insurance full-time (More than 8 years)

Doesn't Recommend

Neutral Outlook

No opinion of CEO

Doesn't Recommend

Neutral Outlook

No opinion of CEO

Pros

- stable company, won't get laid-off and really difficult to get fired (which can also be a bad thing depending on the associate because there are times when people need to be let go) - always get a Christmas bonus and usually receive a profit sharing bonus once or twice a year - full benefit package - never bored, they always keep me busy in my dept.

Cons

- very old-school culture * professional dress is required at all times * changes, enhancements, etc. often have to run through layers of management to get approved * perception is very important * expected to arrive early, do not be even a minute late or you will be reprimanded * have many unnecessary meetings - pay is very low compared to industry - many associates in management around the company are not fit for management * some were good at their jobs so they were promoted to management, even though they have no idea how to mentor and lead people * some associates just "put in their time" and got promoted because of seniority * lack of leaders and mentors in management seems to be a problem is many areas of the company, especially in IT

Advice to Management

Promote leaders and mentors instead of people with seniority; just because someone is good at their job or been at the company a long time does NOT mean they are fit to lead people. Also, drop all the formalities and some of the old-school culture. Some associates are leaving the company, especially in the last year, due to low pay. But many associates left because they were sick of the professional dress or not being allowed to go to the cafeteria after 8:00AM or having no flexibility in hours, etc.

Auto-Owners is a very stable place to work. They are very proud of the fact that they have never laid anyone off, and it is very difficult to get fired. Auto-Owners also respects your personal life. You will never have to work more than 37 1/2 hours a week. This is especially rare in the IT world. The people are also very friendly in general. It is mostly filled with older employees.

Cons

Salaries appear to be lower than average, especially in IT. This means that the talent base is also lower than average, and it can be hard to learn from others. Professional attire is mandatory for all departments. This is crazy in the 21st century. Even IT workers who never see outside vendors still have to wear ties all the time. It can be hard to buy in to the product that the company is selling, considering they are a traditional insurance company.

The salary was decent, the benefits were tolerable, and I only had to work 7.5 hours a day.

Cons

There wasn't always work to do. It seemed that performance was not that important to managers; as a result, many bad to mediocre developers were able to stay around and "succeed". This led many of the good developers to leave for other jobs which in turn furthered the decline.

Advice to Management

Reward true excellence and raise the standards. Treat the developers like developers and not like insurance salesmen.

The company is slow to change and loses a lot of employees after one year (and they know it). They do not offer a flexible work schedule and are slow to increase salary with experience. Many in positions of authority in the IT department are so out of touch with current technology that they don't even know what Google Docs is... Some of the management is very poor. The work environment is political in a way that feels like high school.

Advice to Management

Only those that are willing to advocate for their team should manage a team. Otherwise, the team loses functionality and the company gets a bad name.

Glassdoor has 120 Auto-Owners Insurance reviews submitted anonymously by Auto-Owners Insurance employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Auto-Owners Insurance is right for you.